The HATHORNE Family (also called Hathron, Harthorn, Hawthorne)
(Jedidah Hathron m. Samuel Bigelow III)
This has been one of the most difficult lines to follow. It was after much
search in alphabetical files that I discovered that the name was spelled in various
ways, and felt justified in attempting to tie Jedidah in with the descendants of
William Hathorne who held many important offices in Salem, Massachusetts, beginning
in 1639.
On an impulse, I looked up Nathaniel Hawthorne in the encyclopedia and found
that he put the "W" in the Hathorne name. Although I realized that the author came
at a later date than Jedidah, I became interested in Nathaniel and read several
books about him. THE HAWTHORNES, by Vernon Loggins, set me straight on many counts.
Nathaniel rightfully changed his name, as it was originally derived from Hawthorne
in the village of Bray, England. Tradition says that it got its name from a haw-
thorne tree that stood at the crest of the hill, and that the yeoman who tilled the
soil there adopted the name in the 16th century.
Loggins gives a thorough account of the English genealogy, including the legend
that an innkeeper by the name of Hawthorne dreamed of buried treasure on Hawthorne
Hill and found, not one, but two pots of old gold Roman coins when he dug there.
This legend of his ancestors was the basis for AN OLD WOMAN'S TALE by Nathaniel
Hawthorne.
He also gives the authentic ancestry from Thomas Hawthorne of East Oakley, Bray,
born around 1492, a simple yeoman, to the parents of William Hathorne III, William,
and his wife, Sarah, married about 1605. He had inherited his father's lands and
raised his station thereby. According to Loggins "The Hathorne children were taught
to believe that the Puritans were blind to truth, dead to virtue and unspeakably
traitorous". Yet William III, who was born in 1605 and received an exceptional
education for one of his class, was converted to puritanism when twenty-one years
old, which must have been an incredible blow to his parents. He then decided to go
to see the New World which other Puritans had told him about, and take with him his
sister Elizabeth who was engaged to Richard Davenport. Richard had preceded them to
Massachusetts. William also persuaded his parents to let him take little John, "a
boy of only twelve, maybe nine", with them to America. John was probably supposed
to work for his brother William until he was seventeen or eighteen years old. They
sailed between 1630-1633. Some sources say that they were on the ARBELLA with Gov-
ernor Winthrop, but it is not certain. They first settled at Dorchester, Mass.,
and Elizabeth and Richard Davenport were married.
William Hathorne married Ann (believed to be Ann Smith) in 1634. They moved to
Salem in 1636. He became very prominent in Salem and was Deputy of the General
Court and first Speaker of the New England Confederation. He was the Salem Military
Commander and Governor's Assistant 1662-79.
William was the strictest of Puritan judges, in the strictest of times, and the
punishments which he dealt out seem needlessly cruel to us now. Petty crimes might
bring a flogging, but a man might have his ear cut off for stealing a large sum.
Philandering, or manifesting "unclean desire", would land a person in the stocks,
and many a settler received heavy fines for staying home from church. Witchery
trials arose and he dealt with them, but the famous ones took place later when his
son had the sentencing task. The Quakers were not welcomed by the Puritans and
William "pursued them like bloodhounds", banishing many and executing some.
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Major William Hathorne died in April 1681.
John, his son, carried on the tradition of cruelty in sentencing those who
came in his court. Loggins gives a graphic account of the excitement of the times
and the tragic trials which have always been associated with Salem. Nathaniel
Hawthorne, the author, was the great-great grandson of John's son, Joseph.
Until I read Loggin's book I was convinced that we were descended from the
ruthless Judge, William Hathorne. However, I am now confident that the little boy
who accompanied him to America was our ancestor, and have followed his line as far
as possible in searching for Jedidah's parents. John Hathorne does not present a
pretty picture as an ancestor, but the modern-day psychiatrist could easily figure
the reason. The over-pious elder brother must have caused a rebellious reaction
in the boy.
I. JOHN HATHORNE
I do not know the exact date of his birth in Bray, England. It must have
been about 1620. He came to America in 1630-33. It is believed that he
worked for his brother as a child. He was made a Freeman in Salem in 1644
and married Sarah about this time. He received fifty acres of land towards
the Great River. He also passed the strict regulations which made him a
member of the church. We are told that he could never have received these
honors if he had not been the brother of the illustrious William, because he
was perpetually in trouble and often dragged into William's court. William
evidently maintained a great affection for him because the sentences rarely
amounted to anything. Some of the offenses were minor but some quite serious
in any day. He moved to Lynn in 1650, opened an ordinary or tavern, and was
charged with forgery in less than two months. He was fined, but William
lessened the fine when he was brought into General Court. He was often ac-
cused of failure to report drunkenness at his ordinary, of not expelling
intoxicated revellers, and of "selling strong waters to the Indians and
habitual drunkards". "Joseph Collins drank 17 quarters of rum at his ordi-
nary!" In spite of the many accusations against him he was a Lynn Selectman,
often on the Jury, and was Quartermaster for the Essex County Militia. He
died in his late fifties with an estate of 263 pounds. He willed a feather
bed to each of his children.
Issue of John and Sarah:
1. Sarah, m. John Breed;
2. John, b. 1646, d. young;
3. Priscilla, b. 1649;
4. William, b. 1651, d. 1676;
5. Mary;
6. Ebenezer, b. 1656;
7. Nathaniel, b. 1660;
8. A child;
9. Phebe.
One of their sons was indentured as a servant, papers signed by both John and
William, and died an early death.
Since writing John's biography, I have found the following information about
him in the Essex County, Mass., records:
John Hathorne was born April 20, 162_. He was admitted to the church in
Salem in 1633. He lived in Salem until 1650, then moved to Malden, Mass.,
where he met and married Sarah, a tavern keeper. They moved to Lynn, Mass.,
in 1651, where they opened a Public House.
My reasons for settling on John as our probable ancestor are that Loggins
explored the William Hathorne family very thoroughly, as William was the
ancestor of the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Our ancestress, Jedidah
Hathorne, was not among that branch of the family. Two of John's sons,
Ebenezer and Nathaniel, moved to Marlborough, and Jedidah was born in that
town. I then had to choose which of these two men was most likely to be her
father, and settled on Ebenezer, as Nathaniel's children were listed in Marl-
borough records, which simply stated that Ebenezer had several children.
II. EBENEZER HATHORNE b. in Lynn, Mass., in 1656 m. Esther Witt Dec. 26, 1683.
There are many references to Ebenezer in the quaint Towne Meeting records of
Lynn 1691-1701 and 1701-1717. I bought these two publications from the Lynn
Historical Society and the preserve the exact spelling, or lack of it, of
the Town Clerk of Lynn in those days. For instance: "Ebenezer Harthorn
Clameing a parsell of land on the southeast side of a tenn acer Lott cauled
Edwardses Lott, and thay Not showing a good tytle to it, the Town voted yt
(that) said Land should ly Comon: at a Town Meeting held ye 4 of May, 1693,
this vote about the land above said was made Null that was about Ye
Harthorns." Another: "For Ye gran Jury Novemr 11, 1695, them was chose to
serve at ye superriar Court at Salem for Juryors" and several were "chose"
including Ebenezer. He was also selected several times to "take care of
swine be Yoaked and ringed, as the law directs for the year Ensewing."
The last record for Ebenezer in Lynn was in 1708. He must have moved to
Marlborough about that time. A list of their children in the Lynn records
gives: Sarah, Mary, John, Samuel, Hepzibah, and Ebenezer, Jr., who was born
July 7, 1705. I believe that Jedidah was born after they moved to Marl-
borough.
WITT
1. Jonathon, m. Sarah --, d. 1675.
2. Jonathon Witt, Jr., m. Mary --
Copied from Lynn Town Meeting Book:
Jonathon was made a "Selectman to Ordore the preudentiall affaires
of ye town of Lyn for ye yearin sewing." 15 day Feb. 1691/2. He
was a representative to the Court of Assizes many times and was
"chose to vew ye accounts", to "serve at next Sueperyer Court holden
at Ipswich May 12, 1698." In the same year he "was chose titheing
man for ye year ensewing."
3. Esther Witt, m. Ebenezer Hathorne Dec. 26, 1683.
III. JEDIDAH HATHORNE
I have not been able to find her date of birth. She was baptized only a
year before her marriage to Samuel Bigelow. Date of Baptism: March 17,
1728; date of marriage: 1729. The lived in Shrewsbury which is only a
mile or two from Marlborough.
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